News
by Meowser Clancy
Summary: AU. Tie in/sequel to Calla Lily. (Read that one first!) Kate and Spencer spend some...special time together, culminating in her having news for him. Now complete. Dedicated to Smart Kira, because she asked. :)
1. Chapter One

It was a late night, and Kate Callahan was waiting for Spencer Reid.

And he wasn't coming.

Standing outside of the BAU buildings, and leaning on the wall, she vaguely wished for a cigarette, if only for appearances' sake. Everyone always smoked in movies.

Smoking was a disgusting habit, though. Kate shook the notion from her mind and sighed, crossing and recrossing her legs to keep moving. It was chilly out. She shoved her hands into her coat pocket and watched as her breath made clouds in the February night air.

"Come on, Reid," she mumbled, dancing from foot to foot in anticipation. "It's time."

"What?"

She turned to see Reid standing there, looking adorably tall, and deliciously red cheeked from the cold. "Hey," she said, grinning up at him.

"Hey," he returned. "Have you been waiting here all this time?"

"Yes," she admitted, bouncing up to kiss his cheek.

"You shouldn't have," he murmured, slinging an arm around her and they started walking. "I told you I might be awhile."

"I was afraid of missing you if I went to the cars," Kate said, quickening her pace to keep in step, but Reid slowed when he realized she had to.

"I told you I'd drive straight to your apartment," he said, a puzzled frown on his face as he looked down at her.

"It felt weird to leave without you," she said.

"We always go to work separately," he countered. "And we always leave separately."

"Yes, but at the same time," she insisted. "Come on, Chance. Humor me."

"Why should I?" He joked, pulling her closer.

"Because I've got news," she said. "I'm pregnant."

 _Flashback three months ago._

"I don't care if I'm kicked from the team," Kate insisted, standing in the doorway to Reid's apartment a few weeks after he'd been let out of the hospital. "I'm ready to...take the next step. Aren't you?"

"I don't know," he said, staring at her.

"Are you a virgin?" She asked suddenly, baldly.

"Are you?" Reid countered, and she shook her head ruefully.

"I lost it in high school," she confessed. "It was the wrong decision at the time. But all I cared about was losing the v-card before I went to college. You?"

"No, I'm not," he said. "It's complicated, though."

"I like complicated," Kate said, walking forward to sit next to him on the couch. "Though it would simplify things if we just started making out at this point, instead of talking about former flames."

Reid nodded. "It would simplify things."

"But?" Kate asked.

"I want to talk this through, I guess," he said. "I want to get it out. Most people do assume that I'm a virgin. I know Morgan thinks I am."

"Who was it?" She asked.

"She slept with me on a dare," Reid admitted. "But it was amazing. I didn't know it until weeks afterward, and it crushed me."

"I'm sorry," she said, leaning towards him.

"I'm not," Reid admitted. "Like I said, it was amazing."

She looked at him in amazement, and he grinned at her. "She lost something special that night," Kate said, and kissed him.

Their lips met quickly, hungrily. Reid's hands went to her shoulders, and she flung her arms around his neck.

"I want you," Kate said. "I want you for you. I've wanted you, this, for a long time. You're a sexy man, Spencer Reid."

"Really?" He gasped, moving his lips to her neck and she gasped.

"Not to mention a tease," she said. "There was one time you were bending over at your desk, to explain something to JJ. It was torture."

"I never knew I was such a turn on," he teased. "But you, on the other hand. Do you know how dangerous it is when you bend over? Once you were just showing me an article in a magazine, and I almost lost it right there."

His hands went to the buttons on her shirt, and started unbuttoning them with nimble fingers.

"You're doing that with such ease, I have a hard time believing you haven't done this much before," Kate said. "Keep at it."

He pulled her shirt off, revealing a lacy bra underneath. "I never understood the fascination with breasts growing up," he admitted, reaching behind her to unclip her bra, but there was no fastening.

"It's in the front," Kate gasped.

"Okay," he said, and moved his hand back. "I only recently realized that it isn't the breasts that are appealing, not in and of themselves." He met her eyes for a brief moment while his hands fingered the fastening. "It's who they belong to."

* * *

A/N: I'm stopping there...for now. Feeling a bit bashful. If you want more, though, just say and I'll see what I can do.

As the summary said, this is a tie in to Calla Lily, published separately since it is M-rated.


	2. Chapter Two

_We found wonderland, you and I got lost in it._  
 _And life was never worse but never better._

Taylor Swift.

* * *

Kate shivered when he said the words, and shivered even more when he unfastened her bra and slipped it off of her upper body.

His eyes were dark, focused on her chest, and she waited for him to make a move, but he stayed still, staring at her.

"Kate," he began, and slowly looked up at her, raising his eyes to meet hers.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I want to say this first," he said quietly. "I have very strong feelings for you. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't."

Kate stilled, wondering how to return the words. Did he mean love? Did he omit the word on purpose?

She leaned up and kissed him, giving into the moment and not letting him think about it anymore.

His lips were soft, and he kissed her back, and when she slipped her tongue over his lips, he stilled for a moment.

Then he returned the gesture, and his hands were roving over her breasts, feeling and teasing, and Kate couldn't breathe.

Her hands went to his pants, and that was when she really stopped being able to breathe.

* * *

Their movements became more frenzied, and Kate fervently hoped that Reid was finally unable to think, unable to process this as much as his eidetic brain could.

She wanted him to remember every moment, especially if something horrible happened and this magic only happened once.

But she wanted him to be in the moment, and she was afraid that his mind wouldn't let that happen.

She shouldn't have worried.

His lips touched her neck, and he was sucking. 'That's going to leave a mark,' Kate thought dazedly, trying to return the kiss, but he was overwhelming her.

For someone who professed to have only a handful of experience, Spencer Reid was shockingly good at making love.

She wondered if she was matching him for pleasure, and renewed her efforts.

And then it was gone. She exploded into stars, and took him with her.

* * *

When she woke up, Spencer was across the room, staring at her with eyes so intense she was almost scared.

"Chance?" She asked cautiously, sitting up immediately and wincing from her sore legs.

His gaze shot down, and she knew it was because she remained topless, but didn't say anything or try to cover herself up.

"Lily," he breathed, and his eyes returned to her face.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"Well, we have a case," Spencer said. "Hotch just texted."

"I didn't hear it," she said, fumbling for her phone in the pile of clothes next to the couch.

"You're off the team," he said softly. "Hotch texted that, too."

She stilled, and he immediately stood up and walked to her side.

"I knew it was going to happen," Kate said. "I knew it. I was going to resign though, or just ask to transfer to...not being a profiler. You know, still work in the department."

"That's still against the rules," Spencer answered, pressing a kiss to her neck. "He told me to come in and to tell you to report to Swann's unit."

"Back to there?" Kate said.

"Yeah," Spencer said. "You can talk to him about it when we get back. Or before. I'm not sure I want to go in."

"You promised Gideon," Kate said.

He placed his head in his hands, groaning quietly. "I wish I'd never told you that."

"You owe it to them," she urged. "Believe me, I saw this coming and I wanted it. Well, I didn't want it, but I do not want Hotch breaking the rules for us. That's just asking for trouble, for us and for him."

"I know," Spencer said.

"So get dressed," she said, shoving him playfully, and he grabbed her arm.

"I will," he said.

"What's stopping you?"

"You are," he admitted, and pressed his face into her neck. "I don't want to leave."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I am so glad that you all liked it! And I'll try to get more up by the end of the week. I just wanted to update it, though, and I thought better short than nothing.


	3. Chapter Three

_Didn't it all seem new and exciting?_  
 _I felt your arms twisting around me._

Taylor Swift, Wonderland.

* * *

Kate drove Spencer to work, dropping him off at the BAU buildings and driving on to park his car. Her mind was whirling as she went, wondering what she was going to do.

She was off the team. In a way, she was glad that Hotch had taken that step. She definitely understood his decision.

But it was still a punch in the gut for him to do it so impersonally.

And that was why she was waiting for him in his office when he got back.

* * *

"Hotch, we need to talk about this," Kate said, startling him.

"You're the second person to do this to me," Hotch said. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Spencer texted me that you were on the way back," Kate replied. "So I hiked up here."

"I can't give you your spot back," Hotch said wearily. "I'm not going to go against Bureau rules for something like this. Believe me, Callahan, we've had this sort of problem before."

"And were the unlucky people in question told by text message to their boyfriend that they were fired?" Kate asked coolly, crossing her legs.

To his credit, Hotch didn't even flush. "You got a new phone, Callahan, did you forget? And you neglected to give the team your number."

"So why not wait until I got into work?" She asked.

"Because I didn't want a scene in front of the team," Hotch said. "Callahan, I don't like to do this. You were a good agent, and I hate to lose you. But I'd rather it's me that's making you go than someone higher up dismissing both you and Reid."

"Reid is more valuable than me," Kate said, but Hotch took it as a question.

"It might sting to hear that," he soothed. "But it's true."

"No, I was confirming...ugh," she said. "I know he's more important than me. And Hotch? How did you know I was sleeping over at Reid's?"

Now she got a reaction. Hotch's gaze shot to her, startled. "I didn't. I was just texting him to tell you since I didn't have your new number."

Kate flushed, realizing she'd just revealed something she'd have preferred to keep quiet. Not that Hotch was ever one to gossip.

"I was going to resign," Kate said. "I don't know, I was hoping I could still stay in the BAU. I don't have to work as a profiler."

"It's still against anti-fraternization rules," Hotch said. "And I know we'd all like to believe that they are only a guideline, and not a rule, but they are there. And they're there for a reason."

"I know," Kate said softly. "I guess I'll leave now."

"I am sorry, Kate," he said, equally as softly.

She startled when she realized he'd used her first name, and she just looked at him for a moment.

Then Reid came into the office, not bothering to knock. His messenger bag was over his shoulder, and he smiled at Kate. "You ready, Lily?"

"I am," she said, nodding to Hotch.

He watched them go, not saying a word.

* * *

When Kate and Spencer arrived at his apartment, she didn't know what to say. "Chance, I don't know," she began, absently fluffing a pillow on his couch as he put his bags away. "I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything," Spencer said, coming up behind her and sliding his arms around her. He leaned down to breathe in the smell of her hair. "It's so good to see you again. It's almost therapeutic. I think I should license you, Lily."

She leaned back into him, enjoying the feel of him behind her. He wasn't overly muscled, like Morgan was, but he had lean strength in his arms and chest.

"What was the case like?" She asked drowsily.

"Who cares?" He said, and placed his lips on her neck.

She gasped at the touch, and tried to turn so that she could return the gesture, but his arms remained tight around her.

"Don't move," he said. "Just let me do this."

"Okay," she breathed, and his lips travelled down her neck. His hands went up, and her blouse was being unbuttoned.

"Should I take off my jacket?" She asked, and Spencer shook his head against her neck.

The blouse fell open, and he fingered her bra. "Does it open in the front again?" He whispered, and Kate's answer was to unclip it herself.

It did open in the front.

Her breasts spilled into his hands, and Kate couldn't wait any longer, and she twisted around to face him, and kiss him. "I need this," she gasped. "Let me have this."

He returned the kiss immediately, pushing his tongue against her lips. She stumbled, and they fell together. Spencer's hand shot out, and he braced their fall, managing to steer them to the couch at the last minute.

"We're never going to make it to the bed, are we?" She gasped, as his hands again made their way to her breasts.

"I don't think so," he said. "But at least now it can be a goal."

"Take off your clothes," she said, after she failed in getting his sweater vest over his head.

"Not yet," he said, burying his face in her beck, and kissing down to the valley between her breasts.

Kate grabbed his shoulders. "No, now," she ordered.

"I don't think so," he said, and then his doorbell rang.

They both startled. Spencer sat straight up, his hands still holding her breasts.

"I knew there was a good reason to stay dressed," Spencer muttered, reluctantly getting up and pulling at his clothes.

Kate sat up and slowly buttoned her shirt again. "Do you have to?" She asked, her hair impossibly tousled.

"It's probably my neighbor," he said. "Edith. She likes to drop off casseroles sometimes."

"Should I be jealous?" Kate asked, staying on the couch.

"She's seventy-three," Spencer said, shooting her a look over his shoulder and going to open the dor. "Hey, Edith."

But it wasn't Edith standing there.

* * *

A/N: Cliff hanger! More soon, and this chapter is especially dedicated to Smart Kira. I hope you feel better soon!


	4. Chapter Four

_You held on tight to me_  
 _'Cause nothing's as it seems_  
 _Spinning out of control_

Taylor Swift - Wonderland

* * *

Behind him, Kate was still straightening her clothes.

Spencer resisted the wild urge to slam the door in his visitor's face; instead, he took a chance and walked out into the hallway with them.

"Morgan, Rossi, what are you doing here?" He asked, shutting the door behind him.

They'd been too startled to react, but now Morgan frowned.

"Why are you shutting us out?"

"It's a huge mess in there," Spencer said, knowing that his face was red and his eyes were wide. "I don't want to let you see it."

"We can handle mess," Rossi said. "Listen, we thought you might be a bit bummed."

"About what?" Spencer asked.

"About Kate bein' fired," Morgan said. "And we were going to see her too, but we don't have her new phone number."

"Yeah, she forgot to give it to anyone," Rossi said. "Listen, JJ and Garcia are on their way over with pizza. Let us in. We'll make a party of it. And Morgan and I can help you clean up before they get here. Oh, and you have Kate's new number, right?"

"Um," Spencer said. "I guess I do."

"We'll clean everything up before they come over," Morgan said. "By the way, do you know why Kate was fired? Hotch didn't say anything, just that she wouldn't be accompanying us on this case. And we were going to ask him, but he was more than on edge this past case."

"If Hotch didn't say anything..." Spencer trailed off, not certain where he was going with this. "Okay. Anyway. Um, just a minute, okay?"

He slipped back into the apartment, barely opening the door to squeeze through it. Kate was standing there, in the middle of...

"You made a mess?" Spencer asked, staring.

"I eavesdropped and thought it might be warranted," Kate said. "Listen, I can slip out through the fire escape and return in twenty minutes, okay? Our secret is safe."

"Does it have to be a secret?" Spencer asked. "I wouldn't mind breaking it open."

She just looked at him. "You have no idea how glad I am to here you say that," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "But not yet. It's too soon."

"I understand," he said, and she climbed out of the window.

Spencer walked back over to the door and let Rossi and Morgan in.

"Whoa, what happened here?" Rossi asked. "It's like a tornado swept through here."

"I was cleaning my whole apartment top to bottom when the call about the case came in," Spencer explained, smoothing his hair from his eyes. "And I had to leave things like this."

He momentarily wondered when he'd become such a good liar, then dismissed the thought.

It wasn't going to stay a secret forever.

And, he realized as he looked at his teammates, he certainly wasn't the first of his friends to keep secrets.

This secret was, at least, far less explosive.

Or so he thought.

* * *

"I'm bringing six different kinds of pizza," Garcia enthused over the phone. "Jayje and I will be there in five minutes."

"Okay, sounds good," Spencer replied.

"Who's there already?" JJ asked, breaking in.

"Rossi and Morgan," Spencer said.

"And have you called Kate yet?" Garcia asked.

"I did," Spencer said. "What about Hotch?"

JJ was silent for a moment. "Spence, we're doing this because Hotch is being a jerk and no one knows why."

Spencer felt something uneasy deep in his gut. "Guys, that's not right. We shouldn't be excluding him."

"He's excluding himself," Garcia said. "Besides, he had something with Jack tonight."

"I'll see you soon," Spencer said, and hung up the phone. Before he could stop himself, he dialed another number.

"Reid? What is it?"

"Hotch, we're having an impromptu pizza party," Spencer said slowly. "Why don't you come over? Who knows, maybe Kate and I will make an announcement."

"Why do they think she's gone?" Hotch asked. "I'm okay with playing the bad guy for longer than this, Reid. If you and Kate want to keep things quiet..."

"It's time," Spencer said. "I don't want to do it like this. Can you...will you come over?"

His boss's silence filled the line.

"Are you actually doing something with Jack tonight?" Spencer asked.

"No, I'm not," Hotch said. "I told JJ that, and..."

"Come over," Spencer said. "No protests."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Hotch promised.

Spencer hung up the phone and texted Kate. **You have to come soon.  
**

She called him back. "Chance?"

"Lily," he breathed. "It is time. We have to say. I convinced Hotch to come over too."

"Okay," she agreed. "Just give me five minutes, and I'll be there in two."


	5. Chapter Five

_Flashing lights and we_  
 _Took a wrong turn and we_  
 _Fell down a rabbit hole._

-Taylor Swift, Wonderland

* * *

Kate was still in the car when Reid called her, and she just made a quick turnaround. Looking at her clothes, she wondered whether to stop by her apartment to change them, but shook the impulse off.

That wasn't important right now.

She pulled back into heavy traffic, and, realizing that rush hour had just started, she pulled out her phone again and texted Reid. **I just stuck in traffic. I'm not going to be there soon.**

 **Just come as soon as you can,** he replied, and she sighed in relief that he wouldn't be awaiting her coming.

The traffic ahead of her seemed to be a never-ending line of stalled cars, which puzzled her after she thought it over for a minute. There was almost no reason for traffic to be stalled here; there weren't any intersections up ahead and it never took this long to drive on it.

"Maybe there was an accident," she murmured to herself, and switched the radio on. Classical music burst from the sound system and she startled. "I must not have changed it after driving with Reid last time," she said, turning it down but not switching the station. The strains of a gentle piece of music filled the car and she wondered what it was, regretting that she had no real knowledge of classical music and its composers.

The traffic inched forward.

* * *

JJ and Garcia arrived, bringing the promised pizza. Hotch got there soon after, and, while JJ looked surprised to see him, everyone else took it in stride. Morgan dragged him off to talk over the latest basketball game, and Reid bit his lip.

"Where's Kate?" Rossi asked him, coming over to where he stood in the kitchen.

"She got stuck in traffic," Reid replied.

"Hmm," Rossi said. "Listen, there's something more than meets the eye here, and we all know it."

"Profilers," Reid said, but his voice was emotionless.

"Spencer," Rossi said slowly, startling Reid. Rossi almost never used his first name. "Anti-fraternization rules were meant to be broken. No one would think less of you."

"Thanks for that," Reid said, brushing hair from his eyes.

"And that's why Kate is gone," Rossi finished. "Isn't it?"

"It's a smart decision," Reid said. "Things could get really complicated, in the field and in the office, if team members dated or married, or broke up. No one needs the drama."

"I know," Rossi said. "I lost a damn good agent that way once."

He drifted away and JJ approached Reid.

"You know, there was once a time you were willing to break anti-fraternization rules with me," she joked, but her eyes were somber.

"Do you regret missing that chance?" He asked, puzzled.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "It's just weird to see you this...settled."

"I'm the farthest thing from settled," he protested, and she shook her head.

"When you and Kate are together..." She trailed off, and patted his arm. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Reid said. "Wait, what was all the show earlier about how no one knew why Kate was gone?"

"And you really thought we didn't realize she was inside?" Morgan said, interrupting them. "Dude, your apartment is never messy. And your clothes...were very telling. Some things you can't hide, Pretty Boy."

Reid instinctively looked down and a red flush covered his cheeks when he realized how he'd just admitted to everything.

"I admit, Kate's got pluck to climb down the fire escape," Morgan chuckled. "Was it really that secret?"

"Oh, be quiet," Reid said. "We didn't know how you'd react."

"How did you expect us to react?" JJ said. "I'm glad you invited Hotch."

"Yeah," Reid said slowly.

The two drifted away, and Garcia appeared at his side. "Is Kate ever going to get here?" She complained. "Don't you two have an announcement to make?"

"And the one person who isn't a profiler still guessed it," Reid said, throwing up his hands. "You got me."

"Yes," she smirked.

He tried to smile back, and pulled out his phone to text Kate. **Where are you?**

He put his phone back in his pocket, and wandered over to the pizza, taking a slice with sausage and peppers.

* * *

As the evening wore on, the mood grew slowly unsettled.

"It's been almost an hour," Morgan said. "No traffic is that bad."

"I know," Reid said slowly. "I've texted her five times now, and there's been no reply."

A shrill ring pierced the air, and they all jumped. "Sorry, that's my landline," Reid said, and jumped over to the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Dr. Spencer Reid?" A female voice asked.

"Yes, it is," he began. "Who's calling?"

"I'm with

Mary Washington Healthcare Stafford Hospital, calling about a Kate Callahan. It seems you're listed as her second emergency contact. I'm afraid I have some bad news for you."

* * *

A/N: Twist! One that no one saw coming. But I decided to give it an actual plot...


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: If you could kindly recall, in the first chapter I took us back three months. Now I'm taking us back to the present for this chapter.

* * *

 _We found wonderland_  
 _You and I got lost in it_  
 _And we pretended it could last forever_

Taylor Swift.

* * *

For a long moment Spencer didn't say anything, and Kate was afraid she'd lost him somehow.

"Chance?" She hazarded, her voice soft.

"Are you serious?" He asked, and his voice broke. He had slowed when she announced it and now he halted completely, turning to face her and take her hands in the chilly parking lot.

"Yes, completely," she said, looking up at him. He was utterly stunned by this revelation, and she couldn't help laughing.

"Chance, it was bound to happen," she said. "I mean, we didn't use any contraception and I'm fertile woman."

"But it only happened a few times!" Spencer gasped.

"Once is all it takes," she reminded gently. "Is this too much for you?"

"No, of course not. Yes, of course it is!" He looked at her with tortured eyes. "I can't be a father, Lily."

"I think you could be a damned good one," she said, now serious. "Of course you could."

"No, I mean, I'm the baby of the team," he said. "Everyone else is supposed to have children, right? I'm just supposed to be the fun uncle."

"Chance," she began, but he cut her off.

"This is so much," he said, his hands breaking from hers to wave wildly around. "Everything is too much. Right from the beginning, Kate. This shouldn't have happened."

"Why not?" She asked, moving to press her hand over his heart. "I love you, Spencer Reid. And you love me. How could it possibly be too much when it's only just enough?"

"Kate..." He was breathing hard and finding it difficult to find words. "You don't know...my family is messed up. How can I raise a child? And suppose the baby inherits schizophrenia? How could I live with that?"

"I understand being scared," Kate said, her voice becoming a bit harsh. "But you have to stop going on like this. Chance, I'm pregnant. There is no way in hell that I'm not keeping this baby so I'm just wondering what the hell you expect to happen if you keep rambling like this. Are you saying you won't claim the baby, won't raise it as your own? Fine."

She pulled away from him, something in her eyes that Spencer had never seen before.

 _Heartbreak._

 _Hurt._

 _Betrayal._

He was supposed to have been happy with this news, but in all truth, Spencer Reid had never been more terrified.

And there had been a hell of a lot of opportunities for him to be terrified.

"Kate, I can't do this," he said, his voice breaking. "I don't know how, and it's as simple as that."

And with that, Spencer Reid disappeared into the night.

* * *

 _Back three months._

Derek drove.

Spencer couldn't concentrate on anything but his mind was spinning so he forced himself to watch Derek's brown hands gripping the steering wheel with expertise, twisting and turning and weaving in and out of traffic with ease.

Penelope was in the back seat, on the phone with someone from the hospital, trying to get more information.

Behind them, Hotch, Rossi and JJ followed in JJ's car. Reid wasn't sure who was driving it.

He felt like he was being sucked into a black hole. His world was just about to end...again.

Derek seemed to sense it.

"It's gonna be okay, Pretty Boy," he said casually. "Penelope is talkin' with them right now and they say that Kate is fine."

There was no way that Kate was fine. There was no way that the universe would spare her when it had already taken so much from him.

No, she was just the next person in the long line of people that Spencer Reid had _loved_ and because of that had met their ends terribly, horribly.

He was going to lose her, he just knew it. Even if she was physically _okay_ , even if she was mentally stable and there was nothing permanently wrong with her...

Spencer knew that it couldn't last. Nothing in his life lasted.

He had forgotten that in the small space of time that he and Kate Callahan had shared bliss. He had forgotten that there was always the rock bottom to hit, always everything to go wrong.

And it just had.

Derek pulled up in front of the hospital and Penelope dove out from the back seat, her car door slamming. She had already almost reached the hospital doors when she realized that he wasn't following.

"Pretty Boy, we're here," Derek urged, but Spencer stayed there, stuck to his seat with terror.

"I can't...I can't go," he began, his voice stumbling.

Penelope ran back and yanked his door open. "Spencer Reid, for a genius, you're damn stupid sometimes. Get the hell out of the car. We need to see Kate."

He followed in a fog.

This would end in tears, he just knew it.

* * *

A/N: Oh, and I'm officially marking 'Calla Lily' complete. Anything more for that universe will have its own story, like this one!


	7. Chapter Seven

_But there were strangers watching  
And whispers turned to talking,  
And talking turned to screams_

Taylor Swift, Wonderland

* * *

Spencer walked into the hospital as if in a fog. Penelope was darting ahead of him and he found that he only needed to follow her lead.

Follow her lead and let her take him to Kate.

Kate.

"Excuse me, we're looking for Kate Callahan, he's her emergency contact," Penelope told the nurse at the reception station, a bit breathlessly.

"She's in room 205," the nurse, Rose, answered. She pointed out the way for them.

"Can you give us any updates right now as to her condition?" Penelope begged.

"Let me check," Rose promised and her fingers flew to the keyboard in front of her. "Here it is. She was admitted after a minor car accident. She hit her head on the steering wheel and it looks like there's some internal bleeding."

"Is she going to be okay?" Penelope asked.

Rose's eyes warmed with sympathy at Penelope's concern. "I think so, but you'll have to wait until you speak to her doctor. Right that way."

Penelope grabbed Spencer's hand, holding tight to him as she sought out the hospital room. "I don't do well in hospitals," she said. "Last time I had to kill someone."

Spencer just squeezed her hand, unable to say anything in return. He was surprised that she'd initiated the contact, Spencer being the known germaphobe that he was, but he found himself glad that she'd done so. Sometimes you needed human contact.

"Okay," Penelope said, and charged through the door.

Kate was in the hospital bed, a nurse attending to her. Penelope halted abruptly, pulling up short in the middle of the room.

"Hey," she greeted them, her soft voice still carrying in the quiet room. Her nurse stepped away from her.

"You just ring if there's something else," she ordered, her name reading Violet.

"Thanks, Vi, I will," Kate promised.

Penelope rushed forward as soon as Violet was gone. "How are you?"

"Terrible," Kate said. "But I'm going to be fine. I'm sorry, I didn't realize they'd called you. I was never in any real danger."

"Don't apologize," Penelope said fiercely. "I'm so glad you did call. They did. Whatever."

Kate met Spencer's eyes over Penelope's head. "I never told you you were my emergency contact, did I?" She asked. "I changed it to you after I moved. Everyone else was too far away."

She was taking things too lightly. Spencer didn't like how jocular she was being, how casual her reaction was to being thought dead.

"Penelope, can you go?" He asked abruptly.

"Chance!" Kate reprimanded, but Penelope saw the look in his eyes.

"Of course," she said. "I'm in the way. Sorry about that."

She was smiling as she left, making sure to shut the door behind her.

"What was that about?" Kate asked.

"We all thought you were dead," Spencer said flatly. "The hospital said nothing, just that you'd been in an accident."

"I'm sorry," Kate said. "But I am fine. Just a concussion and some internal bleeding that will be all over as soon as the medication starts to kick in."

"Oh, Kate, you don't even get it," Spencer said. dropping into the chair beside her and placing his face in his hands.

He felt her hand on his shoulder. "It's been awhile since you called me Kate," she said quietly. "Spencer."

"They know," Spencer said. "They already knew. Everyone did. It's all good now. You're off the team but everyone is friends again."

"Including Hotch?" Kate asked, and she beamed at him. "You did that, didn't you? You just can't let the team be apart. It has to be together. That's why you forgive people so easily. You can't let those bonds break."

"No, I can't," Spencer said, and leaned over to her. Their lips met and Kate leaned into the kiss, straining against the lines and tubes connected to her.

"These are in the way," she said, breaking away from him.

"We've been in this position too recently," Spencer complained.

"Yeah, but I'm the one in bed now," she said, her eyes waggling.

"You mean so much to me," Spencer reflected. "It's going to be so..."

"So what? Easy from now on?"

The door burst open. Penelope had gotten tired of waiting and she was now joined by Morgan.

"How are you, Shorty?" Morgan asked, striding forward.

"I'm doing okay, Derek," she answered. "It seems the hospital made a mountain out of a molehill."

"It was serious," Morgan said. "I'm glad we can be here right now. They were right to call Spencer."

"Thank you for that," Kate said.

As her hospital room filled, Spencer drifted away. He needed to think. Consider. Process. Hypothesize.

His brain just wouldn't stop spinning.


	8. Chapter Eight

_Didn't they tell us don't rush into things?_  
 _Didn't you flash your green eyes at me?_  
 _Didn't you calm my fears with a Cheshire cat smile?_

Taylor Swift, Wonderland

* * *

Kate Callahan looked at Spencer Reid, who was across the room from her, dozing in the arm chair her hospital room provided.

It must have been past midnight, but she couldn't sleep. Her nurse had been in to ask if she wanted a sleeping aid, i.e., a drug, but Kate had politely declined, wanting to stay up to watch Spencer sleep and because she had a feeling she was already doped up and wanted her body to get off the drugs as soon as possible.

In her world of undercover, where every 'best friend' was an addict or a criminal, she saw all too clearly the affects drugs could have on one. Even if they were medical and necessary.

It was too easy to become addicted, she reflected, looking at Spencer and her fingers itched to run them through his hair.

The team had been so warm, so welcoming. Hotch had just looked at her, and she knew he regretted his decision. But she'd forced his hand, and that's all there was to it.

The night dragged on and Kate's eyelids didn't even flutter. Around three, when Vi came in to check on her again, Kate finally gave in. "Can I have an aid?" She whispered across the dark room and she was out in seconds.

* * *

When Spencer woke up he wasn't sure, at first, where he was, or why he was there. Then he saw Kate and knew immediately why. She slept peacefully, and he checked his watch with a start. It was only seven. It was fine for her to still be sleeping.

He got up and stretched, feeling the way his body ached from sitting in the chair all night. "Kate, you know I need to get better sleep than this," he murmured, leaning to press a kiss to her forehead as if by instinct.

He loved her. He knew it was true. So why was it so hard to say? Why couldn't he let her know that, why couldn't it all be good?

And yet there it was.

He left the room to find some coffee.

* * *

When Kate woke up, Spencer wasn't waiting for her. She felt panicked for a moment, feeling in her bones that something just had to be wrong...and then JJ emerged from behind the curtain. "Hey, Kate. You're awake!"

She strode forward quickly, reaching to briefly clasp her hand. "Spence went down to get some coffee," she said. "It's his third cup of the morning."

"Ah," Kate said. "I woke up early!"

They laughed together and Kate checked the time. Half past nine.

"Listen, we actually have to go in today," JJ said, her tone serious. "I came to fetch Spence for work. We're not flying anywhere, but he's needed for some reports; you know how it goes."

"Yes, I do," Kate said, and they shared a smile that was more like a grimace. "You guys can go."

"I do know that Hotch will let Spence back here as soon as possibly," JJ said. "Maybe around three."

"Good," Kate murmured and JJ left.

She settled back into her pillow, alone with her thoughts and not liking it. All she wanted was to go home and spend the next few days in bed, or on the floor, or the couch, or even the kitchen table, with Spencer Reid.

And she was afraid that if she didn't make that connection _now,_ soon, then she might lose him forever.

"Lily?"

She blinked at the voice and turned her head. "Chance," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"JJ told me you'd woken up and I came to say goodbye," he said, walking to her side. "How are you feeling?"

"I just want to go home with you," she said honestly.

"Yeah, about that..." he said, and took her hand into his own. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"What isn't wise about it?" She said. "For that matter, what does it matter if it's wise or not?"

"You just got hurt," he said.

"Oh, is that all this is?" She said. "No one said anything about putting my sex life on hold."

He almost winced at the word and she blinked to see the motion. "Chance...we're not working together anymore. It'll be fine. We aren't breaking any rules."

"Maybe that's the problem," he said, but now he smiled. "Kate, I'm so relieved that you're okay."

"I am too," she joked and he, shaking his head, pressed a kiss to her forehead for the second time that day.

"I want you to come home soon," he said.

"Home," she whispered back.

* * *

A/N: Next time we'll have Kate's return 'home' and a passionate time in Spencer's apartment. Give me review if you like it!


	9. Chapter Nine

_Oh darling, we found wonderland_  
 _You and I got lost in it_  
 _And we pretended it could last forever, eh_  
 _We found wonderland_  
 _You and I got lost in it_  
 _And life was never worse but never better, eh_

Taylor Swift - Wonderland Lyrics

* * *

Spencer didn't know what he wanted, but when Kate was released, he took her hand and didn't let go.

He was almost certain that this was the wrong path to take, that it would lead to heartbreak and pain that he just didn't want...

But he wanted Kate.

And the look in her eyes made him believe she wanted him.

She had a few bumps and bruises, to be sure, and Spencer was more than mindful of that when they were back at his apartment and settled on the couch.

"Do you want a pillow or something?" He asked, shifting to be closer.

"No, I'm okay," she said. Her hands were messing with the buttons on her cream colored sweater but her eyes were dancing about the room, not looking at him, as if she weren't sure whether he'd want to or not.

He wanted to.

"Kate, are you—?"

"Feeling up for it? Yes, and I asked the doctor and she said it would be okay as long as we take it slower," Kate blurted, turning to face him and sitting on her feet.

"That's not what I was going to ask," Spencer said, a bit dazed at her instant reply. "But I think it's a better answer than I would've gotten had I actually asked my question."

"What?" Kate said.

Spencer moved in and kissed her, gently. "Never mind, Lily," he whispered. "Let me have this."

She kissed him back, taking her cues from him and letting it be gentle. He could feel her pent-up energy and emotions; she didn't want to take this slowly.

But he wasn't ready to go all in yet. He placed his hand on her neck and moved a bit closer, going onto his knees to better angle himself.

She arched up to meet him and he nudged her back down, until she was lying on the couch and staring up at him with her big eyes.

"Spencer?" She whispered, with lips that were deliciously swollen.

"I'm coming," he returned, not missing the way she didn't use the name 'Chance'. He wondered what it meant, and wondered if he had been too obvious these past few days.

They were 'out' now, though. He knew that she felt hurt by the fact that he was ignoring it, that around the team he acted exactly the same way.

Instead of kissing her, he moved his hands to the buttons on her sweater and slowly unbuttoned the first. The pearl button slid from the hole as he watched, and it revealed a patch of skin that only made him want more.

But he hesitated before he moved to the second button, and she saw it.

"Spencer, what's wrong?" She asked quietly, sitting up a bit.

"Nothing," he said. "I just thought I'd never do this again. And we always were in such a hurry the times before this."

Relieved and finally understanding, she lay back again. "Then take your time," she said with a saucy look on her face.

"That's what I'm doing," he said, but the second button went by much more quickly and the third button followed the second in rapid succession.

A lacy bra was revealed that Spencer didn't allow himself to concentrate on until all the buttons were undone, and then he returned.

"It opens in the front," he mused, looking at the clasp.

"It does," Kate said.

"A lot of your bras seem to do that," he commented, his hands moving to the fastening and slowly sliding one piece from the other.

"It makes it more convenient," Kate gasped, as he lowered his mouth to her breasts.

There was no talking for a long time then, as he made love to her breasts and then went down to her stomach.

There were a few bruises here, and something clenched inside of him to see them.

"I'm okay, really," she said. "I hit something with my stomach, that's all. And I have one bruise elsewhere."

"Where?" He asked.

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself," Kate said. "Spencer, I'm tired of waiting."

With that, she dived upward and knocked him backward onto the couch, straddling him and unbuttoning his shirt much more quickly than he'd unbuttoned hers.

Her hands slid all over him, up to his shoulders and down to his belt buckle, then back up to his chest, to rest over his beating heart.

"Are we ready again?" She asked.

He stared at her, sexier than life, almost. He wondered how he'd come to this moment again...

And then he didn't care.

He grabbed the moment and lived in it. And it was very good.


	10. Chapter Ten

_I reach for you_  
 _But you were gone_  
 _I knew I had to go back home_  
 _You searched the world for something else to make you feel like what we had_  
 _And in the end in wonderland we both went mad._

Taylor Swift, Wonderland.

A/N: That last chapter was in the past. For this chapter, I'm taking us back to the present for good, where Kate has told Reid that she is pregnant and now he has to process this news.

* * *

Kate sat at her desk in Andi Swann's Domestic Trafficking Task Force office and sipped a scalding cup of coffee.

This wasn't fun at all.

She went back to last night and couldn't believe that Reid had treated her like that, said those things and then just...left.

She knew...or at least, she could make herself understand his reasons. He had laid them out so simply it was easy to see that this was going to be hard for him.

But it was his child. She was now, in the eyes of everyone who knew them, his lover.

She thought over it again, remembered the look in his eyes and tried to make herself understand.

After all, she'd had a stable family: dad, mom, sister. Plenty of cousins along the way. Having a family excited her, even if it made her feel a bit uneasy.

But Reid. He'd had his parents split up, problems with his dad that had been resolved (or hadn't? Kate wasn't quite sure) and his mother had schizophrenia. So he had solid reasons to not want this.

But it hurt that he didn't want it, and that had clouded her judgment last night. She saw now that she should have taken things slower but had been so convinced, in her selfish little mind, that Reid would be just as excited as she was about the whole thing.

She wondered where he was, if they had a case. If they did, she'd probably hear about it eventually but not until they'd been gone.

And definitely not before they left.

Unless...

"Penelope?" She said a few moments after dialing the tech genius' number. "The team is here, right?"

"All present and accounted for in the bullpen," Penelope returned. "You paying us a visit?"

"Maybe just Reid, you understand," Kate said. 'We had a fight. Sort of."

"Ah," Penelope said. "You know, there's this new cupcake bakery that just opened up. It has a lot of bizarre flavors and combinations that somehow end up tasting good. You might consider that. Sugar changes everything."

"I might," Kate said. "Thanks, Pen."

* * *

When she walked into the BAU, Reid's desk was conspicuously empty, and JJ gave her a sympathetic glance. "You just missed him," she whispered, coming straight over. "But he said he had a migraine so I think he was going straight home."

"Thanks," Kate said and, following JJ's directives, made her way to his apartment and stood outside, holding a cupcake box and feeling foolish.

She knocked on the door.

She waited.

And it opened.

"Kate," Reid said flatly, his eyes travelling over her.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately. "You've got history and I should have understood that, and I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that. I was excited and I just hoped that you would be too."

She held out the cupcake. "If you want it. JJ said you had a headache and sugar is crap for that."

"I'll take it," Reid said, after a moment. "Kate, this is going to be hard. I can't deny that. And I realize now that I think we took things too fast, and I felt that when you were in the hospital, but I pushed away the feeling when you got out because it was like wonderland, Kate. It was amazing and shocking and new. And I couldn't say goodbye to it."

"And now?" Kate asked.

"I'm not ready to be a father, I'll say that," Reid said. "But I don't think anyone is."

He reached out to place his hand on her shoulder and guide her in. "It's like, this broke me. This relationship, this night. Something broke, and I thought it was a bad thing that it was broken but now...I feel like it's okay. Like it had to break."

"Like, sometimes you gotta fall before you fly?" Kate asked. "Sorry, song reference."

"No, that sounds right," Reid said.

"Chance, you're doing it again, you're being...my chance," Kate said. "I need to say this. I was always part of the family, but never, I don't know, an individual. Do you know what I mean? You're such a part of things that people don't think of you by yourself. And this kind of relationship is new for me, too."

"It's still not going to be all sunshine," Reid said. "There's more to be said."

"I know," Kate said, nodding her head. "But maybe, right now, we could eat the cupcakes. And talk about baby names. And then we can be serious."

"Very serious," Reid said. "Come on, Lily. Welcome home."

* * *

A/N: Simple ending for a simple story. I might do a sequel, but not in the terribly near future. I hoped you liked it. Leave a review if you did.


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